Miss IGNITION? Don't miss out on all this great insight too.

Business Insider's flagship IGNITION
conference featured some serious heavyweights in the digital
world, including leaders of massive companies like Randall
Stephenson, CEO of AT&T, and next-generation innovators like
NextVR's Brad Allen.

All the IGNITION speakers and panels provided some excellent,
specialized insight on the future of tech.

Here are our favorite pearls of wisdom from this year's
conference.

1. Your phone is probably ruining your health.

Thrive Global CEO Arianna Huffington thinks we need to put our
phones to bed — literally. That's why her new health-focused
initiative sells "phone beds" to get you in the habit of putting
away your screen before jumping under the covers.

We all know that advances in personal technology have made the
world more connected, but they also have a dark side. It's easier
than ever to become dependent on our screens, which can lead to a
lot of unhappiness.

It's Huffington's new mission to prove that hard work and success
don't require burnout and sacrificing health. In a world that
seems to be speeding up every day, it's an important lesson for
many of us to internalize.

2. You shouldn't be scared of artificial intelligence.

As a society, we've watched "The Terminator" a few too many
times. Whenever someone brings up the subject of AI, people might
imagine things like machines stealing jobs from people (best-case
scenario) or all-out robot war (worst-case scenario).

We were glad IBM Watson chief David Kenny was there to provide
some calming words on the subject.

"This is a technical change like the industrial revolution,"
Kenny said. "It's a fundamental shift."

Therefore, it's natural to have some worries, but AI presents so
many positive opportunities, and it's important not to allow
unfounded fears get in the way of progress. Watson itself has
already made strides, especially in healthcare.

Kenny believes AI's ability to eliminate many tedious activities
will allow humans to eventually enjoy more leisure time and
become more creative. That's a future we all can definitely get
behind.

3. Amazon will continue to thrive.

To start, Mark Mahaney, managing director of RBC Capital Markets,
guilted us all for not investing in Amazon stock in the 1990s.
(We'd be up 51,000% had we bought the stock in 1997.)

He then shared some exciting ideas about what's next for the
giant tech company. He predicts Amazon will move into AI, voice
technology, online ads, entertainment, shipping logistics, and
even groceries.

"Big winners pay for experiments," he told the audience.

Basically, Amazon's a company to watch. If Mahaney's right, its
reach could expand to so many areas of our daily lives.

As a result, Mahaney said it has potential to become a company
with a trillion-dollar market cap.

You read that right. Trillion. Sounds like an exciting
road ahead for Amazon.

4. Fake news is going to get more sophisticated.

As we've seen from this recent contentious presidential election,
fake news is an issue that extends beyond the digital realm and
into the political world.

The discussion was lively, insightful, and a bit pessimistic —
these panelists were not about to sugarcoat the problem. They
largely believed fake news would become more sophisticated over
time.

The biggest takeaway from the talk was that there are limits —
and downsides — to the free flow of information on the web. Since
attempting to unravel the complex web might lead to additional
problems, people must play a part and be more critical of the
stories they read.

5. Teens love YouTube and Instagram.

The teens have spoken, and they're not huge fans of virtual
reality. (Not yet anyway.)

To wrap up the conference, the marketing firm Smarty Pants
gathered a panel of funny, outspoken, and candid teens. They
shared their honest thoughts about the digital world, along with
their technological habits.

So what does the younger generation like? YouTube, Instagram, and
Snapchat for sure. In fact, it sounds as though Snapchat is
playing into high-school popularity, with more popular students
receiving more points.

What would they like to see in the future? A group-FaceTime
feature, for starters. The panel was a great opportunity to get
some upfront feedback about what the next generation wants when
it comes to the digital world.

So if you missed out this year, make sure to attend our flagship
conference next year.